Kicking the Tires (Run Idea)

Word has come down the pipe that the new Renraku Sabre R5 not only meets but exceeds design specs. Jammed full of sensors to feed the hyper-aware AI pilotsoft, it also boasts a supremely-rugged chassis that can handle stresses most street cars can’t, and a dual-input engine that switches from petrol to electricity and back again without a hiccup. The car seems like a dream, and at its unveiling next week, the world will find out for itself.

Unless you take this job, of course. Some “healthy competition” in the automotive world is always healthy, right? The Johnson wants to make sure the inaugural showing of the Sabre does nothing but embarrass the whole Rentaku automotive line. The car has already been staged at the test track, and while it goes through small tests and tweaks in the lead-up to its big day, it should be relatively quiet, sitting in that huge garage all by its lonesome, the night before the big day.

The unveiling calls for the car to rocket past the press box before handling the test course at a breakneck speed. Reports say there’ll be a driver inside just in case something squirrely happens, but my sources say he’s an old-school, tactile driver – no rigger of any worth.

Hit the garage, reprogram the software, and find a way to disable the driver from taking over. The Johnson doesn’t want any fatalities of course, but she wants to see the car fail on every promise, in front of all the lights and cameras that will surely be there.